Temperature sensitive goods constitute a large share of the product inventory of every pharmaceutical company. Unfortunately, each year millions of dollars in temperature sensitive pharmaceuticals are destroyed in transit. In order to maintain quality, all temperature sensitive substances must be continuously stored at the appropriate temperature from the time they are manufactured up until the moment of use. Once substance potency is lost, it cannot be regained or restored, and without proper care, any substance may eventually lose all its potency. If this occurs, the substance will no longer provide any protection against the target disease and is then useless.
The system used for keeping and distributing substances in good condition is called the ‘cold chain’. This consists of a series of storage and transport links, all of which are designed to keep the substance at the correct temperature until it reaches the user. When temperature sensitive substances are distributed, special protection in terms of packaging is needed. The Health Care Industry has worked hard to develop its own set of specialized packaging systems. However, even the best packaging system can be defeated by an unexpected deviation in time or ambient temperature. Preserving the value and effectiveness of the substance while meeting the demands of on-time delivery is one of the greatest challenges facing the Health Care Industry today.
The available packaging systems on the market today carry the energy within the same system as where the substance is packed. The control system is designed to measure and regulate the air temperature within the packaging system at one set point. Air temperature within the packaging system fluctuate much more then substance temperature, mainly due to great difference in thermal mass, when ambient in-transit temperature fluctuate due to the environment that the packaging system is exposed to.
When the temperature of the air in the packaging system change, the control system will utilize its energy source to maintain the temperature of the air inside the packaging system, although the temperature of the product has not been affected. More energy then what is actually required will be consumed and, in the end of a distribution, there is no power left to maintain air temperature and the appropriate substance temperature may exceed.
Therefore, it is a need to optimize the use of available energy by allowing the temperature of the substance to fluctuate within given alarms, sacrificing the energy in the thermal mass of the substance, extending the actual time of effective operation of the packaging system. This should be done in conjunction with balancing the actual energy losses in the packaging system.
1.1.1 Weaknesses of Current Methods
The control system does not measure the temperature of the substance so that the energy in the substance can be sacrificed within recognized alarms
The air temperature in the packaging system fluctuate significantly more than substance temperature
The packaging system may not record in transit product temperature
The weight of the energy in the packaging system generates additional costs not beneficial for the substance itself
The packaging system is increasingly hazardous for its environment with an increased amount of energy carried within the packaging system should a mechanical failure occur